High tide peaks in Outer Banks as Hurricane Erin moves through Atlantic

Crews with the North Carolina Department of Transportation stacked sand up to 10 feet high as the area prepares for storm surge from Hurricane Erin.
Posted 8/19/2025, 9:40:33 PM Updated 8/19/2025, 10:00:08 PM

LOOK AT HOW OUR LOCAL FORECAST

WILL PLAY OUT THIS WEEK IN THE

MIDST OF AIR AND COMING UP AT

ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, KAT.

MEANTIME, THAT VIDEO OF HIGHWAY

12 THIS MORNING SHOWING.

>> THAT RUSH TO GET THE SAND

OFF THE ROAD, TOO.

>> MAKE SURE THEY CAN PUT SOME

BARRIERS UP, TRY TO KEEP AS

MUCH WATER OFF OF THAT IS

POSSIBLE. EVACUATIONS IN PLACE.

THE ONLY ROAD TO GETTING ON OR

OFF HATTERAS ISLAND. SO THEY'RE

GETTING PEOPLE OUT OF THERE.

YOU KNOW, THIS HIGHWAY CAN

FLOOD. IT DOES MANY TIMES WHEN

WE GET STORMS LIKE THIS WITH A

HURRICANE COMING AND HIGH TIDE

PEAKING THAT RISK CERTAINLY

RAMPS UP. WRAL'S ERIC MILLER

IS TRACKING CONDITIONS FOR US

IN NAGS HEAD. ERIC.

>> WHAT ARE YOU SEEING OUT

THERE?

>> WELL, THEN YOU CAN SEE HERE

AND URGENT AT PIER IN NAGS

HEAD. JUST HOW HIGH THE WAVES

HAVE GOTTEN WITH HIGH TIDE.

SOME OF THESE WAVES MAKE IT

MOST OF THE WAY UP THE BEACHES.

YOU LOOK DOWN OFF INTO THE

NEARLY GETTING UP TO THE DUNES

AS YOU HEAD FURTHER SOUTH HERE

DOWN TOWARD HATTERAS ISLAND AND

OCRACOKE ISLANDS, THAT WATER IS

ACTUALLY GETTING EVEN HIGHER

TESTING. THE EFFORTS OF THOSE

DOT CREWS WHO HAVE BEEN IN THE

MIDST OF A MAJOR OPERATION ALL

DAY LONG, TRYING TO KEEP THIS

OCEAN OFF OF THE ROAD. TAKE A

LOOK AT SOME OF THE VIDEO WE

GOT EARLIER THIS THE PEA ISLAND

NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE.

YOU CAN GET A SENSE OF JUST

HOW BIG THE PHYSICALLY OR SET

SEAWALL IS THAT THEY'RE

BUILDING RIGHT NOW THAT SAND

PILED 10 FEET PLUS HIGH IN

PLACES DOT IS BROUGHT OUT JUST

IN THAT ONE AREA ABOUT A DOZEN

RAIDERS FRONT LOADERS BACKHOES

CREWS IN THAT AREA TELL US THEY

WERE WORKING UNTIL HIGH TIDE.

THIS WAS THE MOMENT THEY WERE

MOST CONCERNED ABOUT TODAY.

THIS WAS WHEN THEY THOUGHT THIS

WAR MIGHT BE BREACHED BY THE

TIME THAT HASN'T HAPPENED SO

FAR. SO THEY'RE GOING TO

CONTINUE WORKING DOWN THERE,

CONTINUE BUILDING UP THAT WALL

FOR AS LONG AS THEY CAN.

BUT AS DAN POINTED OUT, JUST A

MOMENT AGO, THIS IS A REALLY IN

SOME WAYS A FUTILE OPERATION

DOT BELIEVES THAT THIS STORM

IS SEVERE ENOUGH. HE'S WAY TOO.

WE'LL GET HIGH ENOUGH THAT

EVENTUALLY THAT WILL REACH

HIGHWAY 12 WILL BE WATCHED OVER

BY THE OCEAN. AND HATTERAS

ISLAND WILL BE SEALED OFF BOTH

YESTERDAY. AND TODAY WE TALKED

TO PEOPLE STAYING BEHIND ON

THAT ISLAND. OFFICIALS TELLING

ANYBODY WHO STATE YOU TO HAVE

FOOD, THEY NEED TO HAVE WATER

AND MEDICINES ON HAND BECAUSE

WANT HIGHWAY 12 IS BLOCKED.

THEY MAY BE STUCK FOR SEVERAL